[25.02] Opening Pandora's Box: The Discovery of New Irregular Satellites of the Giant Planets

B.J. Gladman (Obs. de Nice and U. British Columbia)

Advances in the power of wide-field imaging CCD mosaics
along with the necessary advances in computer power to deal
with large volumes of digital imaging data have allowed new
opportunities to explore the outer reaches of our Solar
System. The discovery of the Kuiper Belt is an example of
such a new horizon, and the new ability to peer into the
dark environs of the giant planets is another. Since 1997,
dozens of new irregular satellites of the giant planets have
been discovered. Their orbital and physical properties offer
new clues to the processes that were occurring as the giant
planets underwent the final stages of their formation. In
particular, the orbits of these satellites show strong
grouping indicative of a collisional origin for most of
these bodies, although the mechanism by which they were
originally captured is unclear. This talk will review the
progress made to date in the discovery and study of these
satellites, explore the implications of these discoveries,
and discuss future prospects in this area.

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